In the before-time, Marvel made sure their many trains always arrived on time. Every three months or so there’d be a new entry: a solo movie (that may actually be a small group outing), a big ensemble melee. The films moved in concert with the newish TV shows that now bow on Disney+. Some major new development in one was reflected in the others. Then the pandemic happened and threw it all out of whack. Now no less than five (5) Marvel movies have been delayed. Ditto the fifth Indiana Jones.
As per Variety, the delays range from a couple months to half a year:
Disney has delayed release plans for several upcoming films, including “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from March 25 to May 6, “Thor: Love and Thunder” from May 6 to July 8 and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” from July 8 to Nov. 11. With the “Black Panther” sequel jumping to November, “The Marvels” has been postponed to early 2023 and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” was bumped from Feb. 17 to July 28, 2023.
Meanwhile, the still untitled fifth Indiana Jones, also owned by Disney, is moving a mere month, from June 30, 2023 to July 29. That film has been plagued with certain on-set hiccups relating to its star, who’s pushing 80 and still, presumably, cracking that whip.
The reason for the reshuffling? It’s tied to productions taking a little longer than usual in the COVID era. Black Panther 2, for instance, is still filming in Atlanta. Meanwhile, long-delayed Marvel movies are still hitting theaters. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been one of the biggest hits of the pandemic era, although it’s still slightly behind the franchise average. So this is not about box office panic. It’s just because, you know, making movies is hard, especially during a public health crisis.
(Via Variety)